Disclaimer: I do not own Warriors, just all of the original material. Had I actually owned it, the Three would have had a much more interesting heritage. Why? Because I much prefer for our kitties as actually being Ashfur's kits, and having to come to terms with the fact that their father is not the brave and noble ThunderClan deputy, but rather the jealous tom who attempted to have Firestar assassinated :D. What can I say? I supported that theory long before the LeafxCrow one was confirmed, and still like to think it true.

Blinking his amber eyes open in confusion, Lionpaw's first response was to yowl in terror at the top of his lungs. Not only had he somehow been dragged out of his nest in the center of the stone hollow when he had been asleep, but something told him he wasn't even by the lakeside anymore. Lionpaw was certain he would have recognized this stretch of rich forest, and the peculiar fact that the stars seemed close enough to earth to brush up against, so long as you could climb a tall tree.

Leaping to his paws and dimly processing how soft the grass felt beneath them, the golden tabby tom looked wildly about, prepared to lunge at the first thing that seemed threatening. Standing several tail-lengths away was a strange tortoiseshell she-cat. She was relatively small and slender, with a pretty face and kind pale amber eyes that twinkled with starlight. The tortoiseshell seemed aware of his terror, and was respecting his personal space, though perhaps she was also intelligent enough to remain out of his attacking range. Lionpaw inhaled curiously. He still didn't recognize her, though a could detect a whiff of ThunderClan scent just beneath the pleasant aroma of burdock root and star-shine. Oh, and there was the tiny little fact that stars speckled her fur!

Ears pressing flat against his head, Lionpaw's got straight to the heart of his fears. "Am I dead?"

The tortoiseshell smiled patiently. "No, you are not."

Sighing with relief, the golden tabby relaxed and instead looked curiously around him. His surroundings looked faintly familiar, but Lionpaw decided to ignore that in favor of the ancestor standing calmly before him. "Er, I'm guessing you heard my prayer back there," he meowed sheepishly. "I just didn't think anyone would answer."

"You're a special case, Lionpaw." His companion purred in amusement at his squeak of amazement. "Yes, I know your name. We watch over all the living cats, remember? It's our job to know everything about you."

Lionpaw tried not to think about that slightly disturbing statement. "Right. Um, not to be rude or anything, but who are you?"

"I am Spottedleaf," the she-cat answered, as if she had expected this question. "I was once the medicine cat of ThunderClan, back when Firestar had just arrived in the old forest." Spottedleaf paused at this, inspecting the tom before her with a sigh. "And you're his grandson. Ancestors, am I getting old."

Lionpaw's ears perked hopefully. "You're gonna give me advice, right? On what I'm supposed to do with my feelings for Heatherpaw, and why I always feel so confused sometimes." Lionpaw's brilliant eyes darkened slightly. "I haven't been feeling right for some time now."

Spottedleaf shook her head. "My apologies, Lionpaw, but I'm not exactly the best cat to talk to about your problems." She smiled warmly, but with a look in her pale amber eyes that clearly suggested she wasn't about to allow an overly curious and hotheaded apprentice to freely wander around StarClan's sacred territory. "I'm just hear to keep your company until a cat that is capable of answering your questions can arrive."

"And such a cat has come," a masculine voice intoned bluntly.

Lionpaw whirled around, unable to stop the pathetic squeak of surprise from escaping him. Padding toward them was a solid gray tom he recognized all too well. His pelt lacked the silver stars Spottedleaf had, and his scent lacked the tang of nighttime. But his wide, unblinking eyes made him far more imposing than the StarClan she-cat. They seemed to bore straight through him, to the center of his very soul. Lionpaw shuddered slightly and looked away to avoid the haunting gaze, instead focusing on Spottedleaf. He noted how the former medicine cat inclined her head respectfully toward the mysterious and unnerving newcomer, pale eyes filled with an emotion Lionpaw couldn't identify.

"Owlstar," Spottedleaf greeted breathlessly. "I-I wasn't expecting you to be the one-"

"Better me than the snake-tongued manipulator or that crotchety old crow of a she-cat," the gray tom interrupted. He glanced down at Lionpaw, a wry grin spreading across his face. "Besides, me and the fluff-ball have met before."

Lionpaw supposed he looked completely ridiculous with his gaping jaw, but his amazement was understandable. "Owlstar?" he squawked disbelievingly. "Some cat actually chose you as their deputy?"

"Yes," Owlstar drawled. The tone was vaguely familiar, but Lionpaw couldn't place it. "And StarClan saw it fit to bestow me with nine lives. I don't suppose you recognize my name?" When Lionpaw shook his head certainly, the mysterious tom muttered grouchily. "Figures. I suppose you spent all of your nursery days dominating your fellow kits instead of actually listening to the countless stories the elders had to tell you." He paused thoughtfully. "Though there are only two elders in ThunderClan currently, and both Mousefur and Longtail prefer to complain and nag the next generation instead of passing on ancient wisdom."

The golden tabby tom's fur bristled. "I don't care who are you!" he growled angrily. "I only care about why you saw it fit to spy upon ThunderClan's camp, and my baby brother after he was injured! And what did you want with Icekit?"

Owlstar smirked. Neither tom seemed to have noticed that Spottedleaf had slipped off into the shadows when they had been bickering, wisely choosing to not become involved. "What makes you sure positive I wanted anything to do with Icekit? Her brother is just as desirable, and their mother was in there as well."

Lionpaw frowned. How did he know Owlstar had just wanted to inspect Icekit, and not Foxkit or Ferncloud? He growled when the answer yet again eluded him. "I... don't know."

Owlstar nodded. "Of course you don't, at least not subconsciously. You already know the answer to every question you possess, and thus my explanations to them are meaningless. I am only here to help you access all that you left behind long ago, to help you recover that which you were temporarily forced to abandon." He suddenly went padding back into the forest, motioning for Lionpaw to keep up. As the two toms walked, he continued talking. "Rest assured, everything will come back on your own power, but only when the time is right."

The golden tabby tom hissed in exasperation. "Then why did you come in the first place?"

"Because you asked for answers first," the gray tom replied simply. "And because I deemed you strong enough to be able to handle what I am about to show you without suffering a complete nervous breakdown."

"There are others out there... that feel the way I do?"

"Yes. Five out there currently, with at least two more due to arrive within the next few moons. Feel free to share this vision with them when you are certain of their identities, and to discuss it, but you should know everything by then anyway."

Lionpaw thought of Hollypaw and Jaypaw, the siblings he refused to exclude from anything he considered important to all three of them. "What about those who are just normal cats?"

Owlstar sighed. "At least a portion of the truth will slip out eventually, and I fear there is nothing anyone can do to prevent that from happening. But try to hide everything from the others for as long as possible. Danger already lurks out there in the forest, and not even StarClan will be able to help you if you alert them to your knowledge before you are strong enough to fend them off. I understand that is well near impossible for to keep a secret from anyone, especially your siblings, but this something you have been entrusted with, not them." His unnerving eyes once again turned to stare down at Lionpaw, and the tabby tom couldn't help but gulp nervously. "I expect you to do the right thing when the time comes."

The ethereal forest of StarClan was suddenly disintegrating around them, giving away to a black void. Lionpaw subconsciously pressed closer to Owlstar, seeking support from the terrifying sight. The gray tom remained calm, even as he too faded away into nothingness, leaving the petrified apprentice alone in oblivion.

Lionpaw was uncertain of how long he had remained in complete solitude, isolated in a black void that deprived him of of all five senses. There was no sights, sounds, scents, or sensations. Only floating in an empty abyss, a void between two worlds that could not remain connected for long. Hovering here, stranded between the waking world and his dreamscape, he witnessed what Owlstar had intended for him to see.

A sea of stars suddenly flickered into view, all barely more than twinkles of light against the crushing darkness that continually threatened to extinguish them all. Lionpaw expected for all traces of light to vanish at any moment, for how could such small sparks stand any chance against the empty abyss that stood before them?

Suddenly, a new star flickered into existence, larger and brighter than any of its fellows. Its power was still paltry against the crushing darkness, but still Lionpaw sensed it hope enough for its dimmer companions. Three even brighter stars flared up alongside the star, each shining with all the brilliance of the full moon. For just the slightest fraction of a heartbeat, the blackness's iron hold against the stars wavered.

Lionpaw then heard Owlstar's voice ringing about him, but was positive the tom wasn't even with him in spirit. The disembodied voice seemed to be coming from the depths of his mind, a memory long forgotten and brushed aside. In his mind's eye he could just picture a starry clearing and the dozen or so cats within it. There was Owlstar, amber eyes alight with a timeless wisdom that sent a shiver down his spine. Just beside him was a thick-furred black she-cat with eyes that glittered with green fire, and a thick-furred white she-cat that caused Lionpaw's heart to flutter with an old emotion. Then there was a gray tabby tom and a dark brown she-cat sitting side by side, so close they seemed to be connected.

"There will be three, the kin of the kin of the cat with fire in his pelt, who will hold the power of the stars in their paws. They shall be the first of a brand new generation. Others shall soon follow them, and together they shall set alight a brilliant new dawn for all the Clans..."

Several more bright stars appeared, their brilliant presence continuing to rise up against the darkness. Their dimmer companions continued to flare up, their combined brilliance surpassing that of all of Silverpelt, and eventually even the light of the full moon. It seemed as if an entire dawn of starlight was just on the horizon, and Lionpaw was eager to witness it. With baited breath he watched, expecting for the darkness to be swept away at any moment.

"...But first, they must survive the last strikes of the dark storm."

And then the abyss surged back in like a flooded river, drowning out every single last star in a wave of black.

The morning following what should have been her first Gathering, Hollypaw was still upset that she had not been allowed to attend, but she accepted her punishment without complaint. Besides, the black she-cat mused as she padded along on a border patrol, her friends and Clanmates supplied enough information for her to recreate the entire night in her mind.

Hazeltail had proudly told the young apprentice of how all of the cats present had congratulated her and Mousewhisker for their first Gathering as warriors, and had angrily recounted the tension that had reared up between their Clan and ShadowClan. Before the Gathering had been formally begun, Blackstar had snidely 'thanked' Firestar for a small strip of land he had generously given ShadowClan. The flame-colored tom had not risen to the taunt, though several of his warriors were quite eager to defend themselves.

Honestly, that little strip of land wasn't even worth protecting, Hollypaw thought as she listened to Cinderpaw's account of the night. From what Father told me, the land never supported enough prey in leaf-bare and is always crawling with Twolegs in the warmer seasons. Since it was useless to us, Firstar actually did the smart thing by giving it up. It's just another worthless piece of land for ShadowClan to waste time patrolling, and the Twolegs there now going to be a constant threat to look out for while on patrol. Hollypaw frowned at this, not liking the image of young ShadowClan apprentices being harassed by Twoleg kits that came to mind. Come to think of it, ShadowClan should just give it up as a piece of no cat's land between the two borders. That way we can just avoid border disputes and patrol skirmishes altogether.

"So none of the apprentices even realized Jaypaw was blind?" Hollypaw repeated in pure disbelief. Firestar

Cinderpaw shook her head. "Nope. Well, Breezepaw kind of had suspicions, but every cat there seemed to think he could see." She purred in amusement. "Heh. All of the other Clans are too blind to notice the blind cat right in front of them."

"That's good," the black she-cat replied proudly, remembering at how devoted Jaypaw had been in ensuring he could get around as a normal cat could. "It means that all of that practicing finally payed off."

"Now if only your practicing at remaining quiet on patrol could pay off," Ashfur meowed teasingly.

Hollypaw's black fur bristled in embarrassment. "Sorry, Ashfur," she meowed bashfully to the patrol leader. Once again becoming entirely devoted to the task at paw, the black she-cat paused to rub against a tree right on the WindClan border, ensuring that all outsiders would clearly remember where the boundaries were.

Birchfall purred, rolling his eyes at his former mentor. "Oh, lighten up, Ashfur. You always allowed me and Whitewing to chat when we were on patrols." He turned toward his own apprentice, twitching his whiskers thoughtfully. "Let's just get this side of the border marked, okay? I want to assess how your stalking is progressing once this is done."

Hollypaw nodded obediently, choosing not to remember the exact reason why the entire Clan, her mentor included, was so reluctant to let her anywhere near the ShadowClan border. Jaypaw had told her several cats seriously feared Russetfur would not hesitate in attacking her for her insults, thus sparking yet another war between the rival Clans.

Cinderpaw suddenly jumped, blue eyes widening as she saw what was just up ahead. "Uh, Ashfur... Should we be worried that a bunch of WindClan cats are waiting for us?"

The two warrior toms tensed, exchanging a glance as they wordlessly agreed on the best course of action. Ashfur only nodded slightly. "Be on your guard, you two. Keep your claws sheathed and your minds open, but be ready to react." Dark blue eyes sharp, he turned to Hollypaw. "I expect you to immediately run back to camp and warn everyone if WindClan is hostile. Do you hear me, Hollypaw?"

Hollypaw didn't like for other cats to imply she was incapable of following orders. Green eyes narrowed slightly at the insinuate, she nodded. "Of course," she meowed with the slightest touch of sarcasm.

As the distance between the two parties closed, Hollypaw could see the WindClanners more clearly. Their leader was a small white she-cat she recognized as Whitetail, one of the oldest warriors in WindClan. Beside her was a smoky tom so dark a gray Hollypaw thought him black, who surveyed the approaching ThunderClanners with blue eyes as cold and distant as the sky. There was a scrawny little black tom that Cinderpaw pointed out as Breezepaw. His amber eyes were narrowed angrily, but he seemed more sullen instead of hostile. Apparently he was upset that he wouldn't get the chance to actually attack any ThunderClan warriors today.

Along with the three WindClan cats were two strangers that smelled nothing like the open hills. The smaller of them was a sturdy little gray tabby she-cat with blue eyes with exhaustion. Her companion protectively stood by her, a gray tom with an odd stripe running down his back. Beneath his long fur, even Hollypaw could see his bones, a sign that the two cats had just undergone a long and difficult journey. She turned curiously to her patrol, shocked to see that Ashfur and Cinderpaw were suddenly gaping in surprise.

"Graystripe?" Ashfur managed to choke out.

Hollypaw's green eyes widened in recognition of the name. Of course her mother had told her countless stories of the tom who had once been ThunderClan's deputy before Brambleclaw, and Firestar's oldest and dearest friend. Of how Graystripe had valiantly sacrificed himself to help other cats escape the Twolegs that had held them captive, the tom that Firestar had refused to declare dead until moons after his disappearance. Apparently, Firestar had been right about his best friend's survival all along.

Graystripe smiled slightly, struggling to convey any kind of emotion beyond the look of exhaustion. "Hello again, Ashfur and the tom I suspect was formerly known as Birchkit." He studied the two gaping apprentices, cocking his head as he tried to determine their parentage. "And hello to the little apprentice that looks like a miniature Cinderpelt, and to the black she-cat that has Firestar's eyes. I take it Squirrelflight is your mother, unless Firestar sired another litter of kits with an alluring black she-cat before he was tragically murdered by Sandstorm?"

Hollypaw blinked. "Um, Squirrelflight is my mom, and Brambleclaw is my dad."

"And Brackenfur and Sorreltail are my parents," Cinderpaw chimed in brightly. "You used to by my dad's mentor, right? And aren't you supposed to be dead?"

"Apparently Firestar held a vigil for a living cat," Breezepaw sneered. Whitetail didn't hesitate in batting him with a sheathed paw, so Hollypaw suspected her to be this little brat's mentor.

"We're just here to escort him home," the small white she-cat explained. She scowled reproachfully at her apprentice. "Breezepaw is just here because I intended to take him hunting afterward." Sensing the threat in his mentor's voice, Breezepaw wisely shut up and decided to do nothing more that could get him sent home to clean out countless soiled nests.

"Then why didn't WindClan just bring them along to last night's Gathering?" Ashfur asked.

"We actually intended to go there," the gray tabby she-cat replied. "However, by the time we reached WindClan territory it was dark, so Graystripe assumed the Gathering had already started. A patrol discovered us while we were passing through." She looked thankfully at the very dark gray tom beside her. "Thankfully Crowfeather managed to recognize Graystripe, and took us to their medicine cat to get us all patched up. Onestar generously let us stay the night."

Hollypaw suspected the two had been guarded all night long once the paranoid WindClan leader returned, but the two cats didn't want to say so in front of their 'rescuers.'

Crowfeather shrugged, blue eyes unreadable. "It was the least we could do."

"And we thank you for it," Graystripe added gratefully. He looked back toward the ThunderClan patrol, obviously both excited and nervous to reunite with the Clan that had thought him dead. "So... can you please lead us back to your new camp? Millie and I still feel like we're going to drop dead on our paws."

Ashfur nodded swiftly, both he and Birchfall coming to support the exhausted cats. "Of course. Let's get you two to Leafpool."

Hollypaw saw Graystripe's brow furrow in confusion at the name, but he was too tired to ask questions. She wondered if she should inform Graystripe that his son, Stormfur, had joined the Clan with his mate from the Tribe of Rushing Water during his long period of absence. She and Cinderpaw shared a questioning look, but then both shared a knowing smile.

Graystripe deserved to be pleasantly surprised.

Out in the mossy hollow, training progressed as usual. Sandstorm was presiding over a spar between Molepaw and Honeypaw, suggesting possible techniques or correcting their mistakes whenever it was necessary to. Brackenfur had been assigned to the sunhigh patrol, meaning Lionpaw didn't have to deal with his mentor's constant nagging. Jaypaw was just glad that Brightheart was temporarily out of commission because of a thorn that had caught on her paw. He respected his mentor, he really did, but a good portion of him was still Owlstar. In another life he had successfully mentored three apprentices and had received nine lives. Constant criticism from a cat generations younger than him was bound to rub his ego the wrong way every now and then.

Unfortunately, such criticism still applied to his mediocre battle skills.

"Ah, don't worry, Jaypaw," Lionpaw told his younger brother reassuringly. "I'm sure you'll get the hang of it sooner or later."

Preferably before the epic showdown between the warriors of StarClan and the lawless rogues of the Dark Forest, Jaypaw thought dryly. Still, despite the frustration he felt toward his uncooperative body, the gray tabby tom was amazed that Lionpaw was acting so normal. He asked for answers, and I gave him a little taste of what is in store for everyone in just a few short seasons. Even with the prophecy of a StarClan cat ringing in his ears, and the promise of a danger that will arrive in his lifetime, I don't sense much concern from Lionpaw. Either it hasn't sunk in yet, or Thun's selective ignorance is stronger than I remembered.

Jaypaw sniffed dubiously. "Doubt it. The leap-and-hold requires a small cat to jump onto the back of an enemy warrior. I have a hard enough time just trying to sense where my enemy's blows are coming from, much less aiming for their back." Ah, there was his old snark.

Considering that Jaypaw was talking to a tom that had faced down a fox on the edge of his territory, just to ensure the queens could sleep sounder at night, in a past life, he really shouldn't have been all that surprised that Lionpaw wasn't about to admit defeat so easily. Instead the golden tabby tom huffed at the remark, tail lashing against his side. "Stop being such a mousebrain, Jaypaw. You're already the best tracker among the apprentices and... er, the second-best hunter, I think."

"Nope, I'm the best again," Jaypaw mewed, remembering the tally he and Hollypaw had been keeping since the earliest days of their apprenticeship. "Caught another sparrow while on dawn patrol. Poppypaw can vouch for me."

Lionpaw huffed angrily. "Exactly, Jaypaw. When you put your mind to it, you can do anything you want. Which is why I don't get why you're resisting battle training so hard." He suddenly leaned in, so close Jaypaw could smell the mouse he had eaten earlier that morning still on his breath. His voice dropped to a low, threatening hiss, the same intimidating tone he used whenever his inner turmoil of emotions picked up. "By StarClan, I swear that I will teach you myself every single fighting technique known to all four Clans. I don't care how stubborn you or defying of authority you are. Ancestors, I don't even care how accident prone you happen to be. You're passing your final assessment and being made a warrior alongside me and Hollypaw, no matter what."

With this proclamation given, Lionpaw turned and padded off to watch the sparring session, the rage within retreating deep into the bowels of his mind as if it had never been. He had not even given Jaypaw time to blink in astonishment at his determined outburst, much less protest against it.

Jaypaw couldn't care less about it. For the moment, he was frowning thoughtfully, repeating Lionpaw's passionate promise over again in his mind.

Since when had he been accident prone? Even as a kit, he had managed to get along without ramming his head into the nursery walls or tripping over his own paws. Jaypaw had retained his old grace, the same subconscious awareness of his surroundings that had allowed Owlstar to tune into his surroundings no normal cat could. As a mentor he had taught all of his own apprentices to close their eyes and to train with their other senses, for heavily relying on sight alone could prove disastrous in the nocturnal ambushes Shadow had always been so fond of.

Owl, on the other paw, was a different story. As a young and hapless kit the first time around, he'd had no prior experience to draw upon and little knowledge of his actual abilities. He had been infamous for being clumsy and getting himself into trouble back then, it was what had earned him the affectionate nickname 'Ow' from his siblings. His lack of awareness about his surroundings had almost once proved to be the death of him, for Owl had nearly wound up drowning in a small pond on the marshes. He had been living with Shadow then, and had been eager to prove himself by catching his own frogs to bring home to the group. Had Shadeheart not been there to rescue him from a watery grave, then Owl wouldn't have survived long enough to even gain a Clan name!

Great, is Thun remembering instances of his past life now? Jaypaw mused grimly. Ancestors forbid, for I don't know how much he'll be able to bear before suffering a nervous breakdown like Shadow did. Knowing his temper and strength, I doubt I'd be able to calm him down in time without alarming all of ThunderClan. Even if Hollypaw was there to help, then I'd owe the both of them explanations their past lives really wouldn't be pleased to hear this early in life!

Grumbling obscenities under his breath, Jaypaw wondered what else would toss another obstacle in his path.

He had no idea of knowing that Graystripe, a cat that could contest Brambleclaw's claim for deputy and upset the delicate balance in ThunderClan, had just arrived back at camp, traveling with yet another kittypet addition that would absolutely infuriate Blackstar and Russetfur.

Next chapter: Jaypaw gets his tail whipped into shape by Hollypaw and Lionpaw, who have taken him for secret sparring sessions in the mossy hollow at night. Also, Graystripe's return and Millie's arrival to the Clan could spell some problems, or help solve some. Oh, and Tigerstar has some pretty damn creepy plans of his own...

1. There was just no time for Graystripe and Millie to arrive at the Gathering, so I just made them spend the night in WindClan until I could bring them in :D.